Both Canada and the US have regulations that cover unmanned free balloons, and both countries exempt small projects from most requirements.We estimated a 50% chance of landing in the US and so had to get a handle on the rules for both countries.
By keeping the total weight of all components below 3.14kg, we avoided the need for NOTAMs and permits.Of course, the real benefit of having a lighter payload is the higher altitude that you can attain.The lighter the payload, the less helium is needed to get descent lift, and the higher the balloon can rise before it reaches its burst diameter.
We decided to have a dry run one week before launch so that we could test the equipment and let the chase teams have a try at navigating after a live object.
LASA-1 Details 
